DEPARTMENTAL PRIORITIES
Report
We the staff of the
Development Planning Unit, under the leadership of the Director of Planning, Mr. Otto
O’Neal, have agreed after a process of consultation, cognizant of the fact that the
national development priorities as spelled out in the Budget 2000 and further broken down
in further details in Annex I:
- Strengthening and modernizing of the
Public Service.
- Promoting and higher volume of
regional and domestic trade
- Strengthening trade in international
services
- Enhancing financial management,
planning and project development
- Improving human resources
development facilities and services
- Enhancing postal facilities and
services
- Enhancing environmental management
- Information Systems and Public
Information Improvement
- Upgrading and expanding our physical
infrastructure
- Extending and expanding government
services to sister islands
- Upgrading sister islands physical
infrastructure
- Boosting agriculture and fisheries
and land development/distribution
We understand
that the public service priorities arising out of the public sector reform programme are
as follows and they are further detailed in Annex II.
- Improving the level and quality of
public services delivered
- Enhancing the level of human
resources in the public service
- Obtaining better value for money
- Enhancing customer satisfaction
- Establishing service benchmarks
- Improving the public perception of
the public service
- Reforming the organizational
structures of the public service
- Empowering our workers with adequate
tools
- Improving worker insurance and
accommodation facilities
We have agreed
on the following broad priorities for the Year 2000. These priorities are further detailed
in Annex III.
- Focusing on employee empowerment
through performance assessment, profiling, career planning and informing them on current
affairs and performance assessment.
- Improving our management
information systems and the flow of information to the public.
- Sharpening and broadening our
economic assessment activities.
- Extending our statistical
output in social and economic areas.
- Expanding on project cycle
management and public sector investment programming.
- Preparing for the Census 2001
and focus on surveys to assist business in decision support.
Cognizant of the present
Performance Appraisal Management System (PAMS) and our need to be flexible in our
programming of decision support activities, we are committed to working on a quarterly
basis as outlined immediately below and detailed in Annex IV.
- Full development of our departmental
website
- Updating our personnel records,
performance assessment and inventory of assets
- Bringing our economic statistical
databases and publications update
- Bringing our social statistics
databases and publications update
- Extending of coverage of social
statistics into welfare and related areas
- Providing timely analysis of the
economy
- Introducing more sophisticated
measures of our economy
- Conducting more business surveys
- Extending our research agenda
- Improving project cycle management
- Introducing public sector investment
programme
- Introducing regular annual business
surveys
We believe that it
is important to let our clients and customers know standards of service, and expect us to
honour them in our delivery of service. We are committed to excellence in professional
services, delivery and courteous relations with our clients. In support of these
commitments we pledge the following:
- Assume personal and professional
responsibility for our actions
- Loyality to the Governor and our
Ministers
- Adhere to ethical standards, norms
and codes of behaviour associated with our individual disciplines
- Work within the letter and spirit of
the law of the British Virgin Islands
- Courteous, frank, fair and honest
with our clients and customers
- Seek value for money and adhere to
standards of good governance
- Use the resources of people in a
most efficient manner.
Further details of our pledge can
be found in Annex V.
As a result of the
implementation of departmental priorities consistent with national and public service
priorities, the following outputs, further details of which are given in Annex VI, are envisaged:
- Performance assessment, managements,
information systems
- Statistical reports and statistical
survey finding
- Public sector investment programme
and project dossiers
- Economic studies, reports and
research papers
The timely outputs listed
immediately above are expected to have the following outcomes for the British Virgin
Islands, especially our clients and customers:
- A better informed public on the
economic and social affairs of the British Virgin Islands
- A wider and deeper level of decision
support for our clients and customers
- A higher rate of programmes and
project implementation
- More empowered and satisfied
employees
- A more confident public in the
reliability, accuracy and timeliness of our work.
Further details are formed in Annex VII attached.
Annex I
Budget 2000 Priorities
Deputy Governor
1. Implementation of Public Sector
Development Programme
2. Training for the Public Service.
3. Implementation of the Performance Management Programme
Chief Minister’s Office
1. Increasing domestic and regional
trade.
2. Better physical planning including environmental matters.
3. A more focused BVI Tourist Board.
4. Capital projects HLSCC/ Learning Resource Center, HLSCC/ Marine Resource Center,
Virgin Gorda Administration Building.
Finance
1. Executing a Fiscal Review
2. Pension Reform
3. Reviewing and upgrading Finance Legislation
4. Introduction of new Procurement Rules.
5. Better procedures for the administration of petty contracts.
6. Management of public assets.
7. Ratifying the borrowing criteria.
8. Financial service support.
9. Better Project Cycle Management.
10. Customs Reform.
11. Computerization of Inland Revenue Department.
12. Advancing Accrual Accounting.
13. Improving Management Information System.
14. Improving postal services.
Ministry of Natural Resources
& Labour
1. Extending environmental management.
2. Support for agriculture and fisheries.
3. Land distribution and development.
4. Development of Sea Cows Bay harbour.
Ministry of Education &
Culture
1. Educational Review; improvement of
the education system.
2. Considering legislation for zoning of schools.
3. Expanding library services and automation.
4. Establishing a department of Sports and Youth Affairs.
5. Improvements to recreational facilities.
6. Expanding school facilities.
Ministry of Health &
Welfare
1. Design and planning of the new
hospital.
2. Increasing the incinerator capacity to better manage environmental sanitation.
3. Development of Health Human Resources.
4. Establishing a new home for the elderly.
5. Landfill for solid waste management.
Ministry of Communications
& Works
1. Introduction of traffic lights.
2. Sea defense to protect and upgrade roadways.
3. Re-designing and protection of our highways.
4. Opening up alternative roads ways into Road Town.
5. Extending the dual carriageway.
6. Extending the water distribution system.
7. Re-examine the design of retaining walls and drainage systems.
8. Programme of sewerage systems design and implementation.
Better Balanced Development
1. Extending Government Public
Works service to Anegada.
2. Rehabilitation of Government buildings on Anegada.
3. Introduction of portable water on Anegada.
4. Continuing roads improvement and betterment.
5. Programme to free Virgin Gorda of roaming livestock.
6. Relocation of Public works on Virgin Gorda.
7. National Sewerage Scheme extend to Virgin Gorda in a study.
8. Purchasing of Virgin Gorda airport to improve air services.
9. Upgrading the health clinic on Virgin Gorda.
10. Upgrading police services and facilities on Jost Van Dyke.
11. Improve the road network on Jost Van Dyke.
12. Extending the potable water programme on Jost Van Dyke.
13. Strengthen government’s services by placing a district officer on Jost Van Dyke.
Annex
II
Public Service Priorities
Beginning in
early 1999 under the leadership and keen interest of His Excellency the Governor and firm
commitment of the Chief Minister, a comprehensive programme of public sector reform was
initiated to concretize some of the disparate initiatives being carried out under the
Deputy Governor’s Office. The Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) represents
the government’s effort to prepare our public service for the challenges, development
and survival in the 21st century punctuated by globalization.
From the
efforts described above and others, it is apparent to us that the priorities of the public
service can be broadly characterized as follows:
- Improvement in the quality and
timeliness of services offered to the public
- An enhanced perception of the public
service
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Improved efficiency in the delivery
of customer services
- Better value for money to our
customers
We further
understand that in order for these outcomes to take place some of the internal dynamics of
the public services must be radically changed. Public service personnel needs improvement
in many areas including:
- Re-orientation of the public service
towards a customer service organization
- Empowerment of personnel with
enhanced skills
- Better working environments and
office accommodation
- Improved personnel management and
performance assessment systems
- Better and more prepared pension
systems
- An improved legal framework for
personnel management
- Better successful planning and
management systems
We are also
aware of the management of the public service on a macro level is expected to change with
the revision of the Constitution. The Public Service Commission is expected to enlarge and
become more active in the day-to-day operation of the public service. The advent of a
re-vitalized Civil Service Association is expected to afford us better collective
representation among other things. We as civil servants intend to show more
accountability, transparency and personal responsibility.
Annex
III
Administration and Management
1. Website development and
operations
2. Computerization and the LAN final phase
3. Upgrading administrative records
4. Improving personal records and financial management
Economic Statistics
1. Completing the National Accounts
Project
2. Re-Establishing the Balance of Payments System
3. Releasing updated Banking, Tourism and Trade Statistical Reports
4. Bringing the Weekly and Quarterly Bulletins up-to-date
Social Statistics
1. Publishing our list of Social
Development Indicators
2. Bringing Health, Education and Welfare publications up-to-date
3. Extending Statistics coverage further into the social welfare area
4. Extending publications into the area of Children, Youth and Women
Economic Analysis
1. Bringing publications on monitoring
the economy up-to-date
2. Preparing in depth analysis of the Mcap, MTES, NIDS, etc.
3. Extending the package of economic indicators
4. Conducting two major sectoral analyses
Investments and Projects
Development
1. Preparing NIDS projects logical
frameworks
2. Development the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP)
3. Preparing dossiers on Core PSIP Projects
4. Research PSIP impact analysis
Annex
IV
Annex
V
Pledge of Commitment to Serve our Clients
and Customers
Personal Development and
Individual Behaviour
We will assume personal and professional
responsibility for our actions. In execution of our duties we will remember that our
actions as individuals define in part the behaviour or perception of government. We are
committed to excellence in our daily duties and we want to be the best we can be.
Commitment/Loyalty to Ministers
Our first commitment is to faithfully and
loyally implement the policies, plans, programmes and projects of the Governor and our
Ministers. We will complete and be faithful in executing all legal and authorized
instructions. In addition we promise to give complete and timely responses to all
authorized requests for advice and information.
Ethical and Moral Standards
We pledge to adhere to the ethical
standards, norms and code of behaviour associated with our individual disciplines and
professions. We will uphold all the principles of our professions and the oral standards
of our society. We will adopt world class and internationally accept conventions and norms
in execution of our duties.
Professional and Legal Standards
Members of staff are committed to be
internationally competitive. We pledge to work within the letter and spirit of the laws of
the British Virgin Islands paying particular attention to the Administrative Law concepts.
We will conform to industry and professional codes of conduct in the execution of our
duties.
Customer Service
We unreservedly pledge to be courteous,
frank, fair and honest with all our clients and customers. Efficient and timely service
deliver is our number one priority. Our customers deserve our best always and we will give
it unconditionally. We want to be perfect, but are not; therefore we will take into
account all feedback about our customers’ service.
Democratic Principles and Good
Governance
We recognize the importance of our democracy
to our people, and we will uphold the fundamental principles of accountability,
transparency and openness in dealing with the public on a daily basis. In all our dealings
we seek to give and get value for money. We will adhere to the policies and strategies of
the Government that calls for public input and consultation.
Resource Management and
Technological Applications
We will use the resources of the people in a most efficient manner ensuring that
full advantage is taken available technology. We will use the most beneficial management
techniques and the most appropriate technology. We will be prudent in our handling of the
assets of the public at all times.
Annex
VI
Development Planning Unit
Work Programme Outputs
Administration & Management
1. Annual and quarterly Personnel
Reports
2. Departmental Work Programme
3. Internet Website
4. Communications Logs
5. Departmental Annual Reports
6. Departmental Priorities Report
7. Department Budget Submission
8. Departmental Accounts
9. Departments Assets and Procurement Report
10. Applications Software Programmes and Databases
Economic Statistics
1. National Accounts
2. Balance of Payment
3. Prices Statistics
4. Tourism Statistics
5. Financial Statistics
6. Government Finance Statistics
7. External Trade Statistics
8. Labour Market Information
9. Economic Surveys
Economic Analysis and Aid
Management
1. Development Aid Report
2. Quarterly Bulletin of Economic indicators
3. Recent Economic Developments
4. Social and Economic Review
5. Sectoral Studies
6. Research Papers
7. Integrated Development Plans
8. Sectoral Plans
9. Plans Monitoring Reports
Social Statistics
1. Population Reports
2. Health and Vital Statistics
3. Crime Prevention and Justice Statistics
4. Education Statistics
5. Social Security and Social Welfare Statistics
6. Gender, Women and Children Statistics
7. Statistical Abstract
Investment Management &
Projects
1. Project Dossiers
2. Report on Pre-investment Activities
3. Report on Investment Activities
4. Report Rehabilitation/Betterment Activities
5. Public Sector Investment Programme Report
Surveys
1. Business Surveys
2. Balance of Payments Surveys
3. Labour Market Surveys
4. Household Income and Expenditure Surveys
5. Population and Household Expenditure Surveys
6. Tourist Expenditure Survey
7. Consumer Price Index
8. Construction Cost Index
9. Tourism Price Index
10. General Purpose Surveys
Annex
VII
Workgroup Outcomes
Administration &
Management
1. A better managed Development
Planning Unit
2. A better informed clientele on the Internet
3. A more satisfied and harmonious work team
4. Perfectly keep financial accounts
Economic Statistics
1. A more comprehensive natural
economic statistics database
2. More up-to-date and accurate economic statistics
3. Better client access to our economic databases
Social Statistics
1. A more comprehensive social
statistics database
2. More up-to-date and reliable social statistics
3. More social statistics available to the full range of out clients and customers
Economic Analysis
1. Stronger economic analysis about
the BVI
2. A better picture of how our economy works
3. A better basis for the development of socio-economic policies and strategies
Investments and Projects
Managements
1. A comprehensive Projects Data
Bank giving physical and financial progress
2. Improved project dossier development and presentation
3. Better information about public investment
Surveys
1. A better understanding of how our
business works
2. Accurate behavioral characteristics of our people
3. A clearer and more accurate understanding of what is required to do business in
the BVI.
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